Chapter 5: Demons (part 2)

The principal said so and left the infirmary. The nurse was also called to follow behind, and there were only the three of us left in the infirmary, and it became very quiet.

“I, um… ”

“Yes?”

The protagonist, who broke the silence, hesitated and looked at Ian. Wiggling her fingers, she shouted loudly as if she had finally gathered the courage.

“Thank you! For saving me.”

“What… I didn’t do anything.”

“Right. It wasn’t him who saved you, wasn’t it me?”

Stella, who had been silently listening with them, quickly chimed in.

But Ian couldn’t say anything to refute her. It’s true that if it weren’t for her, his life would be in danger.

After reading Ian’s reaction, Stella raised her nose and started bragging about herself.

“Heh, what would a guy who just accidentally summoned a 3-star summon can actually do? A summoner is not just a person who made a contract with a summon, but a person who treats them as if they were their own limbs!”

“That, but!”

The protagonist got up and blocked between Ian and Stella. The atmosphere was turning strange.

“Hey, he was the first to run and save me! If it wasn’t for this person, I’d probably be…”

“Ian.”

“Yes?”

“It’s my name, Ian Clark.”

Because he didn’t feel comfortable being referred to in such a formal way, Ian told the protagonist his name. 

After hearing his name, the protagonist realized that they hadn’t introduced themselves yet and started introducing herself.

“No…ah! Ahck… .”

The protagonist blushed because she had made a mistake by biting her tongue. 

After thinking that the protagonist was kind of cute, Ian turned to look at Stella.

Stella tilted her head as if wondering why he    was looking at her.

“What are you doing, won’t you introduce yourself?”

“You don’t know my name?”

“I know?”

“Then why should I introduce myself?”

“It’s basic courtesy.”

“Stella Eritz.”

Hearing Stella’s family name, Noah flinched and looked into her scarlet eyes. She even started to tremble.

“Hey, maybe, the Duke of Eritz?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Lady, I have been extremely rude!”

“No need for that. While at the academy, you can call me Stella.”

“Yeah, yes. All right, Stella.”

“You’re more daring than I thought.”

The two was having a friendly conversation. Ian wondered if it was because she was the protagonist from the original story, so her compatibility with the heroine was unnaturally good.

While looking warmly at the conversation of two beautiful girls, Ian suddenly turned his head and made eye contact with Stella.

“Oh, Ian.”

“…?”

“My debt is settled with this! So don’t approach me again!”

“Ah, yes. That’s okay.”

Now that Ian had managed to find the protagonist, there was no reason for him to bother with Stella anyway. So he waved his hand and parted with the two of them.

When Ian returned to his room, he grabbed his pounding chest and checked the status window.

A power that only Ian can use in this world.

The status window immediately confirmed the rewards and experience gained from today’s battle. 

After the battle, it was possible for Anna to level up.

[Level up possible!]

[Consumes 1 Soulstone]

[Do you want to level up? → Yes / No]

“Soulstone?”

In the game, the player also needes money to level up. Usually, Ian used to grind and save up enough soulstones to level up his summons, but…

‘How do I get it here?’

Ian turned off the status screen and lay down on the bed. There were more things he needes to know about.

***

After taking a bath, Stella, who was being served by the maid, blushed when she heard what her maid had to say.

“Wasn’t that a date?”

“Woh, what!?”

“When a man and woman drink tea together in a cafe, the world calls it a date.”

“It can’t be! A date!”

Stella shouted at the maid serving her, denying what happened today. 

But the maid whispered quietly with an expressionless face.

“My Lady, there is a saying that excessive negation is a sign of acception.”

“Nonsense! It’s all bullsh*t!”

Dating? With such an unlucky, unsightly, rude, and ignorant man who doesn’t know how to properly handle his summon?

Just imagining it terrified her, as Stella felt goosebumps all over her body.

But the maid, who enjoyed making fun of her lady, didn’t stop and continued to tease her.

“Couldn’t you have refused?”

“That, that… I didn’t want to be in debt… .”

“So it was a debt, I didn’t know you didn’t have any money. If you don’t have enough, should I lend you my monthly salary?”

“It’s not like that!”

At that point, Stella had also noticed that the maid was making fun of her.

When Stella finally noticed, the maid smiled and stopped combing her hair.

“My Lady, it’s done.”

“Thank you.”

“It was nothing.”

While the maid, who had finished her job, left the room and headed to her qurarters, Stella jumped into bed and remembered what had happened today.

Ian Clark’s face kept popping up in her mind.

“Aww!”

Bang! Bang! 

Her cute fists hit the pillow. She slammed it down enough to make the bed bounce up, and she didn’t stop until her summon came out to check if something was wrong.

[What’s going on? I felt I was suddenly shaking a lot.]

“Oh, nothing…”

[Is everything really okay? Then I will return.]

“Yes. Thank you for your concern. Ifrit.”

[What, ah, and Salamander was worried as well.]

“Tell it I won’t forget it next time.”

After sending Ifrit back, the Stella hugged the pillow and rolled on her bed. She stomped on the bed hard enough to cause it to bounce again, but the high-end bed in the Academy Dormitory was not damaged by just that much.

‘I, the lady of the Eritz family! Going on a date with that guy?’

Of course, what Ian did today was a bit cool. Hearing the woman’s scream, he moved without hesitation, and he even risked his life and saved the girl.

He was like a knight that came out of a fairy tale. She wouldn’t be surprised even if that girl named Noah fell in love in an instant.

‘It’s just, it’s just a debt relationship.’

She had promised to give him a heirloom… ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen because my father’s reply hasn’t arrived yet.’

Until she paid him back, she had to listen to his demands. 

‘Thankfully, I saved his life once today, so I think we might have risen to the same level.’

‘Once pay off my debt. I won’t even see his face again.’

With that thought, Stella buried her face in the pillow.